Thursday's Internet Edition, September 09, 2010.
Meals volunteer,
shooting victims
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| Rev. Phillip Poyner of Fareham, England |
The two ministers are participating in the pulpit exchange, which is part of the World Methodist Council out of Lake Junaluska. Canada and Australia are also included in this Council.
“When the opportunity arose to come to Clemmons, North Carolina, I had no idea where this might be. Clemmons was not on the maps I had, so I went to the internet and located this village,” said Reverend Poyner.
“Not only do we exchange pulpits, but also our homes and cars,” said Poyner. “I am afraid I got the best deal on houses and cars, since Phillip Cole’s house is air conditioned and his car has automatic transmission. The manse back in Fareham has only one fan, no air conditioning and my car has a stick shift. It has been quite warm back home.”
“Living in Clemmons has been a great experience. The people at the church, as well as in Clemmons West (where the Coles live), and including the Mayor Brewer, have been so friendly and hospitable. My wife Rachel and I have been to dinner with many people,” said Poyner.
The English minister admits holding services for Clemmons Methodists was a bit daunting, in that the congregation is so much larger than his own 160 church members. “The church here has 1,600 members, about 10 times larger than my own. Of course, most of the church work that Reverend Cole does, has been done by the associate pastor, Mark Portis. I have preached at the two Sunday morning services.”
“I have been amazed at the lower prices of homes here in Clemmons, compared to those at home,” said Poyner. “Here the houses are much larger and have such nice lots. A two-bedroom row house outside London would cost $190,000 U.S. currency.”
“People here complain about high petro (gas) prices. At home a gallon of gas (U.S. size) is $6.50!”
“I have enjoyed watching the birds here in Clemmons. The birds here appear much larger and more brilliant in colors than the birds in England. And of course, we do not have the beautiful cardinals like you see here,” said Poyner. “I have enjoyed seeing the deer also.”
Television in America has too many advertisements, according to Poyner. “My wife Rachel and I are used to more world coverage of news. At home we do have more of that. There are many more channels on the cable television here, more choices.”
Some of the sites in the state the Poyners have visited are Spencer Train Shops and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“The mountains here are wonderful. They are the highest I have ever been on except when I was on a plane. The green trees and grass are very nice too. At Spencer, this was special to me, since I enjoy being a locomotive engineer at home as a hobby.”
This past weekend the Poyners planned a trip to Topsail Island.
Two things Poyner said he had missed experiencing were meeting a skunk and a copperhead snake. “People here have told me that I don’t want to meet either. Guess I have enough of a child in me to definitely want to see these.”
Regarding the local congregation, Poyner said “The Methodists don’t present themselves as people with closed minds, but rather tolerant of differing views and open to new insights. I wish that in Britain we could get a commitment like yours to Sunday School for all ages. Whilst congregations are large and growing because of local population growth in North Carolina, commitment to weekly worship is falling and the proportion of non-believers is slowly increasing. This in part, reflects the pace of work and leisure.”
Poyner said “Working hours here are longer and vacations than in Britain. You work hard and play hard, perhaps too hard, and maybe recognize that in heightened anxieties about health issues. People eat out more because they don’t want the extra burden of meal preparation, yet meals shared at home with friends enable deeper friendships to be made.”
Continuing, Poyner said, “You live in a beautiful state with an abundance of trees, bird and animal life, many species of which were previously unknown to Rachel and me. Your investment in Tanglewood, the national parks, recycling and your own yards, demonstrates your regard for creation.”
This pulpit exchange to the U.S. is a second for Poyner. He came to Maryland seven years ago.
His last Sunday in Clemmons will be July 23.